Refrigerant bunkur for containers



Dec. 10, 1935.

G. c. WOODRUFF 2,024,082

REFRIGERANT BUNKER FOR CONTAINERS Filed July 9, 1955 5 Sheets-Shet 1 Dec. 10, 1935. C WOODRUFF 2,024,082

REFRIGERANT BUNKER FOR CONTAINERS Filed July 9, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 H N-11m;

Dam W, 1935. cs. c. WOODRUFF 2,024,082

REFRIGERANT BUNKER FOR CONTAINERS Filed July 9, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Dec. 10, 1935 STATES PATENT OFFICE Graham C. Woodruff, Bronxville, N. 15., assignmto The L. C. L. Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application July 9, 1935, Serial No. 30,497

-6 Claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a refrigerator container embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a detail vertical sectional view of a refrigerator container showing another embodiment of my invention.

Figure 3 is a sectional View on the line Y-Y, Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a detail vertical sectional view of a refrigerator container showing still another embodiment of my invention.

Figure 5 is a sectional view on the line XX, Figure 4.

My invention relates to refrigerant bunkers,

especially adapted for use in refrigerator containers, of the type designed to be loaded on railroad cars side by side; the object of my invention being to provide a bunker designed to be convertible, whereby such refrigerants as ice, salt or brine ice, or solid carbon dioxide, and the like,

may be used in said bunker.

A further object of my invention is to provide the necessary heat absorbing and heat emitting surfaces and heat transmitting capacities without interfering with the usual practices in the construction of refrigerated storage and transportation units; and with these and other objects in view my invention consists of the parts and combination of parts herein pointed out in the claims.

The reference numeral l designates a transportation container which, in form and exterior dimensions, corresponds closely to merchandise containers such as are transported on railway cars, trucks, or the like, which are generally arranged side by side or end to end, occupying the full platform space of the vehicle. The container is provided with hooks or links 2 designed to be engaged by a chain from a hoist for the purpose of lifting or shifting the containers from the vehicle to a platform, or vice versa. The containers may be handled by lift trucks.

The walls, roof and floor of the container are to be suitably insulated and a door 3 is provided in one of the walls of the container for the purpose of loading and unloading goods into and from the interior of the container.

The roof of the container is provided with a hatchway l which is provided with a hatch cover 5, suitable means being used to seal the joint between the hatchway and its cover 5, said cover being provided with insulation 6.

My convertible bunker comprises a body portion I, which extends, in the preferred construction, from wall to wall of the container whereby the bottom wall 8 presents a large conductor surface. The bunker, in the preferred form, is provided with a filling opening or hatchway 9, the upper portion of the walls of which are rebent as at iii and rests on the top of the container to 5 support the bunker in the container. It is obvious that many expedients may be adopted to support the bunker within the scope of the appended claims.

In the primary scope of my invention I provide 19 a sleeve ll designed to have a neat sliding fit in the filling opening 9, and is, therefore, adapted to be moved to bring its lower edge into intimate contact with the inner face of the bottom wall 8 of the bunker, thereby converting the bunker to 15 a bunker of restricted area adapted to receive solid carbon dioxide, and in order to control the conductivity of this restricted bunker, I preferably place on the bottom thereof a resistance Dad l2. 20

This restricted bunker may be formed in different ways, but for the purposes of this application I have shown the additional adaptations which I will now describe.

In Figure 2 the walls of the filling hatch of g the bunker are offset as at l3 to form a recess in which the restricted bunker sleeve Ha is slidably mounted, the sleeve being shown in elevated position in full lines, and in operative position in dotted lines. 3

In Figure 4 the walls of the filling hatch of the bunker are recessed as at I311. The restricted bunker is formed by members l4 mounted on hinges l5 which are held in inoperative position in said recesses l3a. by any suitable means, such 35 as latches l6. Suitable stops II are secured in the main bunker to hold the walls of the restricted bunker in proper operative position. In this construction, as in the construction shown in Figure 1, the top portion of the bunker filling 4o hatch is rebent over and rests upon the top edge of said filling hatch, as indicated by the reference numeral l8, and a sheet I9 is arranged around the filling sleeve of the bunker under which is applied suitable insulation 20. 45

The warm air in the goods storage space of the container will rise and on contacting with the outer surface of the bottom wall of the bunker the air will be cooled by such contact and then fall to the bottom of the goods storage space, 50 thereby creating a circulation of air in said goods storage space and efiiciently refrigerating the goods in said space.

The restricted bunker sleeve may be bodily inserted in the filling hatch when it is desired to I make the conversion, and the resistance pad l2 inserted withinthe sleeve to rest on the upper face of the metal bottom of the bunker, said pad to obtain the required temperature regulationwithin the good storage space.

Means, such as angle shaped retainers I la, ex-

- tend around the inside of the hatch opening to hold the sleeve in position. When the sleeve is removed these retainers function as anti-splash verted for use of ice, brine or solid carbon diflanges, clips, or brackets lib attached to the oxide, or a like refrigerant.

2. In a refrigerator container a refrigerator unit, comprising a bunker body for the reception of ice, brine and the like, said body having a restricted filling opening, a bunker sleeve adapted to fit and slide in said opening with its lower edge in contact with the bottom of the bunker, a resistance pad on the bottom of said restricted bunker, thereby providing a bunker of less capacity than the bunker body. (whereby said unit may be converted for use of ice, brine or solid carbon dioxide, or a like refrigerant.

3. In a refrigerator container, a casing lined with insulating material, a bunker-positioned in the top portion of said casing and having a restricted. filling port, offsets forming slideways in the walls of said port, a sleeve slidably posi-v tioned in said slideways'and adapted to be moved down to contact thebottom wall of said bunker, to form a supplemental bunker of less capacity-than the main bunker.

4. In a refrigerator container, a'casing lined with insulating material, a bunker positioned in the top portion of said casing and having a re- 5 stricted filling port, offsets forming slideways in the walls of said port, a sleeve slidably positioned in said port and adapted to slide in said slideways to be moved down to contact the bottom wall of the said bunker, to form a supplemental bunker of less capacity than the main bunker, and means to retain the sleeve in its adjusted position.

5. In a refrigerated container having a space adapted to contain goods to be refrigerated, and adapted to be cooled by ice, salt ice, or a solid refrigerant, a. metallic bunker, at the top of said space and having a refrigerant loading port, means in said port movable to a position in the body of the bunker to form a bunker of restricted cubic capacity as compared with the cubic capacity of the first named bunker, said restricted bunker being adapted to receive a solid refrigerant whereby the metallic bunker may be converted from an ice or salt ice bunker to a solid refrigerant bunker.

6. In a refrigerated container having a space adapted to contain goods to be refrigerated, and adapted to be cooled by ice, salt ice, or a solid refrigerant, a metallic bunker, at the top of said space and having a refrigerant loading port, means in said port movable to a position in the body of the bunker to form-a bunker of restricted cubic capacity as compared with the cubic capacity of the first named bunker, said restricted 33' bunker being adapted to receive a solid refrigerant whereby the metallic bunker may be converted from an ice or salt ice bunker to a'solid refrigerant bunker, and a resistance pad at the bottom of said restricted bunker.

GRAHAM c. woonaorr. 

